The far-right AfD party on Saturday displayed its ambition to one day gain power in Germany during a congress punctuated by large-scale street protests. Sporadic violence left 11 police officers injured.
“We want to govern, first in the east, then in the west, then at the federal level” in Germany, launched Tino Chrupalla, the co-president of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), in front of the few 550 delegates gathered in Essen (west) in the community hall, the “Grugahalle”.
The congress, which is scheduled to last until Sunday, opened a good half-hour late due to multiple street blockages to disrupt the arrival of delegates.
Certain actions gave rise to violence and arrests when demonstrators, “partly hooded, attacked the intervention forces”, announced the police of North Rhine-Westphalia on their X account. The police had to use “Pepper spray and batons, eleven officers were injured,” she added.
“The AfD is not welcome”
The city is being cordoned off by a force of more than a thousand police officers to deal with the demonstrations that could bring together around 80,000 people in total. Regional Interior Minister Herbert Reul had said he feared “potentially violent far-left troublemakers”.
On Saturday, 50,000 demonstrators according to the organizers – the police have not given figures for the moment – marched towards the congress hall, carrying banners and signs reading “Resistance!” or “Together for Democracy”.
“The AfD is not welcome here. We stand for a society that is open to the world and democratic,” said Linda Kastrup, spokesperson for the association “Gemeinsam Laut” (“Noisy Together”).
“Reckless” behavior
Tino Chrupalla, who was re-elected, as was Alice Weidel, for two more years by a large majority at the head of the AfD, welcomed the progress made at the local level and in the European elections, at the end of which this party born in 2013 obtained the best score in its history, with almost 16% of the vote, ahead of the social-democratic party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The Alternative for Germany, a party hostile to migrants, is also expected to win regional elections in three eastern German states in September, but without achieving a score that would allow it to govern alone. And so far, the other parties have always ruled out cooperating with it.
Concerning the Europeans, Tino Chrupalla regretted a missed opportunity. The AfD was still credited with 22% in the polls in January before losing ground following several controversies surrounding its head of list Maximilian Krah.
The leader deplored “reckless and unprofessional behavior” that cost his party votes. Maximilian Krah, 47, who belongs to the most radical fringe of the AfD, has caused a scandal due to suspicions of closeness to Moscow and Beijing. He is readily accused of all the party’s recent ills.
>> Also read: German far-right party AfD expelled from ID group in European Parliament
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